Dynamic Pre-Game Baseball Warmups

One of the most important parts of every baseball game happens before the game even begins. That’s right – we’re talking about your baseball pregame warm-up routines. Engaging your players in a dynamic warm-up for baseball is the number one way to prevent injuries during the game because muscles are gradually stretched, warmed, and loosened, which increases their strength, flexibility, and power. A baseball pregame warm-up isn’t just about the body though, it’s also about the mind. It helps players get mentally prepared for the game, allows them time for visualization practices, and calms nerves.

While it’s safe to assume that every team has a warm-up routine that they follow, did you know that not all warm-ups are created equally? Some baseball stretches and exercises are actually better than others! That’s where Headbanger Sports comes in. We know how important the right baseball pregame warm-up is for your team, so we wanted to share some of the best ways to get your team ready on game day.

The Best Baseball Pregame Warm-up

Baseball Stretches

Warming up for a game involves stretching and running drills. First, start with static (unmoving) baseball stretches. During static stretching, you want to slowly stretch your muscles to their edge without inducing pain. Hold each stretch in a static position for 20 – 30 seconds, and then repeat each stretch three to four times.

• Upper back stretch
• Shoulder stretch
• Seated hamstring stretch
• Standing hamstring stretch
• Calf stretch
• Hip and thigh stretch
• Adductors stretch
• Standing IT band stretch
• Quad stretch
• Standing shin stretch

After static stretching, move into dynamic (moving) stretching. Dynamic stretching is best after the muscles are already warm, and movement should be controlled (i.e., no swinging or flying limbs). Do each motion 10 – 15 times.

• Leg swings (front to back and side to side)
• Multidirectional lunges
• Leg curls
• Back rotations
• Arm swings

Baseball Pregame Warm-up Drills

After you’ve stretched, it’s time to move into some drills. Drills not only help get your body prepared for the game but are a great way to reduce pregame jitters, finetune techniques, get in some last-minute practice, and ease yourself into the game. Some of the best drills are for:

Throwing

Throwing the ball is a major aspect of baseball, so warming up with some basic throwing is a great way to get ready for the game. Practice throwing the ball to warm up the shoulders but be mindful not to exhaust your muscles in the pregame drills. They just need to get used to the movement.

Catching

Catching is another essential skill for the game and should be included in warm-up. Practice static, dynamic, and short and long-distance catching.

Hitting

Practice hitting the ball before a game to warm up your hand-eye coordination. Don’t use all your power in practice, but rather focus on fine motor skills and hitting the ball exactly where you want it to go.

Pitching

Again, you don’t want to exhaust your shoulder during warm-ups, but it’s good to wake yourself up mentally. Practicing pitching allows your mind to get geared up for the game while you fine-tune your ball placement.

Defensive Drills

Defensive drills help your team get ready to catch flyballs and stop as many batters as they can from making it to any bases. Some of the best defensive baseball pregame warm-up drills include running:

• High knees
• A-skip
• B-skip
• Butt kicks
• Straight leg bounds
• Carioca